Power operated chair



May 3,1949. c. T. BEALL 2,468,801

POWER OPERATED CHAIR Filed Feb. 7, 1947 y i I I 2 I 6 l 0 52 I I'l I FIG. 5 6O 6O 5 I ix z a INVENTOR. I c T. BEALL FIG. 3 y

mfaww ATTORNEY Patented May 3, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POWER OPERATED'CHAIR Charles T. Beall, Casper, Wyo.

Application February 7, 1947;. Serial No. 727,265

1 Claim;v (Cl. 180-26) This invention relates to improvements in roll ing chairs and has reference more particularly to a power operated chair designed with especial reference to use by invalids and cripples.

People who are crippled for any reason to such an extent that they cannot walk with comfort, frequently find it necessary to employ in their locomotion wheeled vehicles of difierent kinds, some of these are old and well known, for example,

the ordinary wheel chair thatis operated by thehands of the cripple, and other wheel chairs that require the service of another person for. propulsion. There are also power operated chairs of various kinds, some of which are employed for pleasure at summer resorts and others for people crippled or otherwise incapacitated.

It is the object of this invention to produce a simple and substantial power operated wheel chair that can be manufactured at a comparatively low price and which is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

Another object of this invention is to produce a wheel chair that can be operated either by an. electric motor or an internal combustion engine.

A further object of the invention is. to produce achair of the type mentioned, which. shall be of such construction that the steering wheel can be; turned through a complete circle, whereby the chair can be turned in a small space and even reversed without reversing the direction of rotation of the driving wheel.

Another objectis to: produce a power operated wheel chair of such construction that the accupant can control the operation entirely by the-use of one hand and which can also be readily modified so that it may be controlled by one foot, if desired.

A further object is to-v produce a chair: of such construction that the, occupant may apply and remove the brakes by merely moving the tiller arm ina vertical direction.

A further object is to produce a chair in which each. wheel is carried upon its own spring or springs, being thus entirely-independent of the sprin suspension of the other wheels.

The above and other objects that may become apparent as this description proceeds are attained bypmeans of a construction" and an arrangement of' parts that will now be described in detail, and for this purpose reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which the invention has been illustrated in its preferred form, and in which:

2 Figure 1 is a side-elevationv of the chair with parts broken away so as-tobetter disclose the con struction;

Figure 2 is a; view partly in section and partly in top plan view taken along line 2-2, Figure 1-;

Figure 3 isa fragmentary end. elevation looking: in the direction of arrow 3;.inFigure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of thechair; and

Figure 5 is a wiring diagram;

In; the'drawing reference'numeral to designates a floor or other'supporting surface on which the" chair rests and reference'numeral H designatestheside andend members of the frame; Frame members H extend completely around the entire [4, and the front transverse frame member I I asv shown most clearly in Figure 2 At the rear of the. frame supports are provided for the rear wheels, each consistingof two spaced. angular bars-- having a vertical member l8 and a horizontal member [9. Tubularcylinders. 20 extend downwardly from each bar t9 and is provided at its lower end with oppositely" extending braces 2l-.

Positioned in each: tubular member 20 is a coil compressionspringg2-2; The upper ends of tubular members 20 are provided with connectors 23"- and these areintereonnected' by means of short tubes 24: and 25' forming arigidaframe. The rear wheels.have beendesignatedby reference numeral 2:6:sa-nd .areeach provided with an axle or trunnion 21 that. is? secured in the lower ends ofplungers 28. Theplungers extend upwardly into tubular members- 2lland abut the lower endsof the springs;

inthe drawing; It will be observed that each of the two rear wheels. is mountedforindependent vertical movement: A frame constructed from piping or other suitable structural metal is formed into an angular assembly having a vertical loop 29 and a horizontal loop 30 that is pivoted at 3|. A certain portion of the side frame members I2 is provided with a series of openings 32 through Each wheel is supported on two springs, one on each' s'i'deas shown quite clearly 3 which bolts or other securing means may be passed into corresponding openings 32a in the seat frame so as to effect an adjustment of the latter. The seat is provided with upholstery 33 of any suitable kind.

A vertical tubular bearing 34 is positioned in front of the seat and is secured to the frame members H by means of curved tubular braces 35 and 36. Member 34 forms a bearing for tubular spindle 31 to the lower end of which the wheel fork 38 is connected. A spring 39 is positioned between the top of the wheel fork and the lower end of bearing 34 and permits the wheel fork, together with the front drive wheel 40, to move relative to hearing 34 in response to the weight supported by the chair. Spindle 3? terminates in a disk 4! that normally rests against the upper end of bearing 34 and has spaced upwardly extending brackets @2 between the upper ends of which the tiller arm 43 is pivotally connected by bolt or rivet A4. The tiller arm is hollow and carries electrical conductors which extend to a switch whose handle has been designated by reference numeral 45. I'he switch is of a usual construction and can be opened and closed by rotating the handle :25. The latter can also be used for controlling the tiller arm for steering the chair. An oil cylinder 36 is mounted on disk 31 for rocking movement about pivot M and carries a piston whose piston rod has been designated by reference numeral 48, the upper end of the piston rod is pivotally connected with the tiller arm at 49. By moving the tiller arm up and down. oil can be transferred through the pipes or tubes 5% to a hydraulic brake mechanism in wheel which has not been shown because any suitable well known hydraulic operated brake can be employed in the usual manner. A motor shelf 5| extends forwardly from the top of the wheel fork and carries an electric motor 52, or if an internal combustion engine is used, then this engine is supported on the motor shelf. Wheel 49 is provided with a grooved pulley 53 and the motor shaft has a grooved pulley 59. A belt 55 interconnects the two pulleys and serves to transmit rotary motion from the motor to the drive wheel. The drive wheel is provided with a suitable shield 56. It will be observed that the drive wheel, the tiller arm and the pump, together with the motor are all carried by the spindle 37, which is rotatable in the tubular bearing 30 and the parts are so designed that the drive wheel can be turned through an angle of 360 degrees. Although a complete rotation of the drive wheel may never be necessary, it will frequently be necessary to rotate the same through angles greater than 90 degrees in either direction.

A battery, for example, an electric storage battery is positioned in a casing that has been shown by dotted lines in Figure 1 and designated by reference numeral 5?. One terminal of this battery is grounded at 58, which indicates the frame of the chair, an electric conductor, is carried by suitable means, upwardly into and through the spindle 3?, then through the tiller arm to the switch 55. A conductor extends from the switch to the motor in the manner shown in Figure 5.

Although the frame work has been shown as open in the drawing, it is, of course, desirable at times to provide certain coverings; a covering of sheet metal or fabric may be applied to the outside of the frame structure wherever desired. Floor plates 59 are provided for the occupants feet. Circular segments 60 extend outwardly from the shield 56 so as to prevent the occupants feet from projecting down through the opening.

Where an internal combustion engine is employed, switch 45 may be used to control the ignition and such other changes made as may be found necessary to efiect this substitution.

Attention is directed to the fact that the bearing for the wheel fork is positioned to the rear of the braces or supports by means of which it is attached to the frame thereby bringing the front or drive wheel within the area of the frame. This construction provides space for the operators feet on opposite sides of the drive wheel whereby the overall length of the chair assembly is shortened compared with the usual construction exemplified by U. S. Patents Nos. 1,052,829 and 700,209.

Attention is also called to the fact that all of the wheels are within the frame area and the frame can therefore have a smooth exterior that does not catch on furniture or other obstructions.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

A power operated wheel chair comprising, a substantially rectangular frame having a seat, two supporting wheels for the rear end of the frame, positioned within the area of the frame, a vertical bearing positioned in front of the seat, the axis of the bearing being within the area of the frame, means for supporting the bearing from the frame, comprising at least three rigid members connected at their lower ends with the frame and at their upper ends with the bearing, a wheel fork having a spindle mounted in the bearing, a drive wheel mounted for rotation in the wheel fork, the rigid supporting members for the bearing being spaced from the axis thereof a distance at least as great as the radius of the wheel at the corresponding level, whereby the wheel may have an unobstructed rotation of 360 degrees, a steering device attached to the wheel fork spindle, above the bearing, a motor carried by the wheel fork below the vertical bearing, and means for transmitting motion from the motor to the drive wheel.

CHARLES T. BEALL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,052,829 Karminski et al. Feb. 11, 1913 1,072,557 Zielinski Sept. 9, 1913 1,226,200 Eversole May 15, 1917 1,230,340 Sweet June 19, 1917 1,306,483 Hino June 10, 1919 1,461,735 Peters July 17, 1923 2,399,605 Schroeder Apr. 30, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 373,200 France Mar. 13, 1907 446,691 Great Britain May 5, 1936 

